Huawei’s CEO doubts the future of smartwatches

Eric Xu, the CEO of Huawei, a company that invested pretty much in developing its own smartwatches does not foresee a very bright future for this type of products, not as long as we have smartphones.

Responding to a question on whether the development of end-user products like smartwatches would stifle its smartphone business, at the company’s Global Analyst Summit 2017 held in Shenzhen, Eric Xu said: ”I am always confused as to what smartwatches are for when we have smartphones…..Therefore, when the smartwatch team in Huawei presents their ideas to me with great excitement, I keep reminding them to consider whether there are tangible needs [for these products] in the market”.

He didn’t say it specifically, but we can assume that he meant that as long as we have smartphones we don’t really need a second device that does even less than a smartphone can.

Also, we might put Xu’s lack of satisfaction towards smartwatches as the market is slowing down and all smartwatches manufacturers don’t get a lot of money from those products. So, business-wise, the smartwatches don’t have a strong support from the market, making them less desirable for those who invest money in making them.